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    Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution: Changing Roles, Changing Lives
    Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution: Changing Roles, Changing Lives
    Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution: Changing Roles, Changing Lives
    Ebook71 pages44 minutes

    Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution: Changing Roles, Changing Lives

    By Ben Hubbard

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    About this ebook

    From the mid-18th century, new machines powered by steam and coal began to produce goods on a massive scale. This was known as the Industrial Revolution. Workers were poorly paid and their working conditions were harsh. Life was even harder for working women, who received lower wages and fewer rights than men. Some women, however, would not stand for the poor treatment of themselves or others. These are the stories of four trailblazers who achieved amazing things in difficult circumstances: Known as the “Angel of the Prisons,” Elizabeth Fry brought about changes for female and child inmates. Florence Nightingale did the unthinkable for a woman of the time and, instead of getting married, became a nurse and reformed the nursing system. Sarah G. Bagley was a pioneering labor activist who fought against harsh factory conditions. “Mother” Jones earned the title of “most dangerous woman in America” by traveling around the country urging coal miners and mill workers to stand up for their rights. Many of the rights women have today are thanks to their actions. They helped change society's image of women forever.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateJan 1, 2015
    ISBN9781484624449
    Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution: Changing Roles, Changing Lives
    Author

    Ben Hubbard

    Ben Hubbard is an accomplished non-fiction author for children and adults with over 150 titles to his name. He has written about many subjects, including space, samurai and sharks, to poison, pets and the Plantagenets. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in libraries around the world.

    Read more from Ben Hubbard

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      Book preview

      Stories of Women During the Industrial Revolution - Ben Hubbard

      Cover

      Introduction

      In the early 18th century in the United States and United Kingdom, most people lived in the countryside, where they worked as farmers or made goods using simple machines.

      But from the mid-18th century, new machines powered by steam and coal began to produce goods on a massive scale. This was known as the Industrial Revolution.

      People were hired to operate the machines in large factories, while others mined for coal. These people were badly paid and dealt with harsh working conditions. Life was particularly hard for working women, who received lower wages and fewer rights than men.

      Some women, however, would not stand for the poor treatment of themselves or others. They dedicated their lives to helping those in need and supporting the rights of workers. Four such women were Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, Sarah G. Bagley, and Mother Jones.

      Elizabeth Fry: Angel of the Prisons

      Elizabeth Fry was a prison reformer who devoted herself to helping the female inmates of English jails.

      She was born during the Industrial Revolution, a period rife with poverty and crime. The prison system was very harsh at this time. People were jailed or sentenced to death for minor crimes such as stealing or forgery. But despite these extreme sentences, many people thought prisoners should be locked away and forgotten. English prisons were overcrowded, filthy places that were full of disease and misery.

      While many prisoners lost hope, Elizabeth Fry was determined to make their lives more bearable. Known as the Angel of the Prisons, Elizabeth believed that prisoners should be treated with compassion and kindness. Through her reforming work, Elizabeth changed the public view of prisons and improved conditions for those locked inside them.

      Elizabeth Gurney was born into a wealthy Quaker family in the English city of Norwich on May 21, 1780. Nicknamed Betsy, Elizabeth lived a life of luxury with her 11 siblings. Her family owned a large mansion called Earlham Hall, where they often held dinners, concerts, and balls for friends. Elizabeth wore fine clothes, ate the best foods, and had enormous private grounds to enjoy.

      However, she was a nervous and sickly child. Elizabeth was scared of the dark and could not sleep without a candle by her bed. The sea terrified her and she had nightmares about drowning. Even a glance from a stranger could make Elizabeth burst into tears. But despite her nervousness and health issues, Elizabeth was a kind, honest, and considerate person. She went out of her way to help those less fortunate than herself.

      In 18th- and 19th-century England, most people were less fortunate than the Gurney family. The Industrial Revolution had made some people very wealthy and many people very poor. Whole families often left the countryside to find work in city factories. Here, workers toiled for up to 14 hours a day in dangerous conditions for little pay.

      As a result of the high level of poverty in the cities, many people turned to crime. The rising cost of bread in the late 18th century caused riots in many cities, including Norwich. But Elizabeth was kept away from these troubles in Earlham Hall.

      However, Elizabeth would be unable to ignore the plight of the poor on a visit to London in 1789. Riding through the streets in her father’s luxurious carriage, Elizabeth was shocked by the city’s slums. While Elizabeth’s time in London included opera visits and society dinners, she couldn’t help wondering about those suffering in the slums. She felt she could do more with her life than just socializing.

      Then, one day, Elizabeth went

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